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Bring on the Football!

The teams are selected, the TV commercials aired and the talking is done: Bring on the Football!

The teams are selected, the TV commercials aired and the talking is done: Bring on the Football!

Can the Central Coast Mariners defend their Championship title? Will the Wanderers take that extra step after a wonderful debut season? Can Melbourne Victory, Brisbane Roar or Sydney FC become the first club to win three Hyundai A-League Championships?

Will marquee stars Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey and Shinji Ono shine again? Can the likes of Harry Kewell, Kenny Cunningham and Pablo Contreras lift the marquee bar even higher? Will it be Shane Smeltz or Besart Berisha claiming the Golden Boot? Will Josep Gambou bring a slice of Barcelona to the Hyundai A-League?

So many questions and the answers will begin to unfold tonight when Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets run out onto Allianz Stadium to recreate one of the best moments of the 2012/13 season. But enough looking back with a smile - let-s look forward with conviction.

The 2013/14 Hyundai A-League looms as the best season in the competition-s short history. Long-time broadcast partner Fox Sports will be joined by SBS to give football the best of both world-s in the broadcast space, opening our National Competition to the 1.7 million participants and the millions of mums, dads and kids who are an important part of the Football Family.

During the off-season I-ve spent a lot of time with the coaches, players and staff at all 10 Hyundai A-League clubs as we-ve tried to reshape the operations of the competition and it-s fair to say that everyone is pumped and looking forward to the start of the 2013/14 season.

Football is united and together we can all “Power the Game”.

“You Power the Game” is the catch cry of the 2013/14 Hyundai A-League but is applicable to everyone who plays, watches and volunteers in this great game.

The 2013/14 season starts with some intriguing match ups in round one.

The season opener between Sydney FC and Newcastle is followed by a grand final rematch between the Mariners and Wanderers, the first Melbourne Derby, a clash of two teams determined to play possession football in Perth and Adelaide, and then the return of Ernie Merrick as his Wellington Phoenix takes on a rejuvenated Brisbane Roar.

Five great games and a very real opportunity for the Hyundai A-League crowd record in a single round to tumble.

You can play a part in that by getting out to Allianz Stadium, Bluetongue Stadium, Etihad Stadium. Westpac Stadium or Coopers Stadium this weekend.